Only 89 Thai berry pickers have been granted permits to work in Sweden this season—down from more than 5,000 two years ago. The drastic cut has sparked alarm within Sweden’s food industry and led to a public protest by affected Thai workers in Bangkok, who blame the Swedish authorities for stripping them of their main annual income.
On Wednesday 3 July 2025, over 20 Thai berry pickers gathered outside the Swedish Embassy at One Pacific Place on Sukhumvit Road to submit a formal petition titled “Request for Assistance in Approving Seasonal Wild Berry Picking Visas for 2025.” The petition was received by a first secretary at the embassy.
“We came to seek understanding and sympathy,” said 28-year-old Kanyavee Phliawong, who led the group.
“Berry picking is our main source of income. We use the money to pay off housing loans, car installments, agricultural debts, and everyday expenses.”
Each year, thousands of Thai workers travel to Sweden in July to pick wild berries for about two months, returning home in time to harvest rice. But this year, only 89 visas were granted out of more than 2,000 applications, according to the Swedish Migration Agency. All approvals were linked to a single company in Jämtland.
The agency justified the mass rejections by citing unresolved issues in the industry, including excessively long working hours and high costs for food and accommodation.
“The Migration Agency has a mandate to prevent labour exploitation and judged that many berry pickers were at risk of not having their rights met,” said section head Merima Ilijasevic.
But Thai pickers and Swedish food industry leaders say the decisions are unfair and unclear.
“Some of us have picked berries in Sweden for over 30 years. We’ve never faced these problems before,” said 43-year-old Juthamas Phetwisets, who also joined the embassy protest.
“We want to know why only 87 people were approved this year—why them and not us?”
In Sweden, the industry has sounded the alarm.
“The Migration Agency’s rejections risk wiping out an entire sector,” said Björn Hellman, CEO of the Swedish Food Federation (Livsmedelsföretagen).
He criticized the agency for basing its decisions on previous seasons when foreign staffing agencies were involved, even though this year’s applications were made under the EU’s seasonal work directive with Swedish companies as employers.
Hellman has written to Sweden’s Minister for Migration, Johan Forssell, urging political intervention. He warned that fewer Thai pickers in Swedish forests will result in higher prices on shop shelves.
“Jam and berries will become more expensive,” he said.
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok announced that it will hold a meeting on Thursday 4 July to discuss the issue and explore potential support measures.
Sources: SVT and Manager online
[…] Men med det gevaldigt mindre antal af godkendte arbejdstilladelser fra det svenske immigrationskontor, står den svenske bærindustri overfor en ny fremtid. Noget som Björn Hellman, administrerende direktør for Livsmedelsföretagen, har udtrykt utilfredshed med i en artikel i mediet ScandAsia. […]